Walk a Mile in Soda's Shoes
by sodapopz
Summary: A few years after the original story.Soda faces challenges and trials of friendship and family.Mainly Soda's POV.
1. Chapter 1

Sodapop Patrick Curtis was only 17years old in The Outsiders. He had lived his whole life on the north side of Tulsa, Oklahoma and grown up a greaser. His parents had died in a tragic accident almost a year before and he was left to be raised with his three-year younger brother, Ponyboy Michael Curtis, by his three-year older brother, Darrel Shaynne Curtis.  
Despite this, his eyes still held a reckless, free, wild, dancing look, but could turn mean, tough and cold in an instant.  
Soda loved both his brothers more than anything.  
He also grew up with four other greasers - Dallas Winston, Johnny Cade, Steve Randle and Two-Bit (Keith) Matthews.  
Steve was Soda's best buddy. They did everything together - they even worked at the same DX gas station.  
If you read or saw the movie The Outsiders, you will know that Dally and Johnny both tragically died.  
If you didn't read it or see the movie - then i'm sorry i ruined it for you...  
Ok then, my story takes place four years after the original story.  
That means...  
Darry is 24;  
Soda is 20 going on 21;  
Pony is 18;  
Steve is 21;  
Two-Bit is 22.  
Savvy?  
Oh yeah, and Dally and Johnny are still dead. SORRY!!  
Ponyboy had a massive graduation party (well, as massive as you can have being a greaser) and Soda met a very nice girl there.

**Chapter one  
_S_**oda had just finished work at the DX gas station and was on his way home. He usually wouldn't walk home because it wasn't safe for a greaser to walk alone at night in this neighborhood, but Steve - his best buddy - hadn't been at work that day, and Soda didn't have his own car. So he walked home alone.  
He heard footsteps behind him and began to get worried. He wasn't too fast a runner and never carried a switchblade.  
The footsteps got closer.  
Soda shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched as he walked. The wind blew against the collar on his DX shirt and he occassionally had to grab at his DX cap to make sure it didn't fly off his head.  
He walked faster, keeping his eyes and ears sharp.  
As the footsteps approached him, he began to scan the ground for a makeshift weapon - a broken bottle, a piece of glass, a pipe, anything.  
Suddenly, unexpectedly, a hand grabs Soda's arm. Instinctively, Soda spins around, fist ready to punch whoever is trying to jump him.  
To his surprise, Soda sees a beautiful young girl standing there. She looks to be around eighteen years old. She has long brown hair and big blue eyes.  
Soda sighs with relief.  
"Niki, you shouldn't creep up on me like that." He says.  
"Scared?" Niki asks, smiling at Soda.  
Soda grins and puts his arm around her.  
"Of you?" He asks. "Not in a million years."  
Niki laughs and they both walk toward the Curtis' house.  
When Soda and Niki walk into the Curtis' house, they find Darry already home, about to serve dinner.  
"Ponyboy!" Darry yells, then mutters to himself. "What is that boy doin' now?"  
"Hey, Darry." Soda says and immediately helps to set the table.  
"Hey, Soda, Niki." Darry says, then yells again. "Ponyboy, get out here now!"  
A door opens and a second later a sleepy looking Ponyboy emerges. "What?" He asks.  
"Help set the table." Darry intructs him. "Your dinner's goin' to be burnt."  
Pony sighs and rolls his eyes at Darry, but helps Soda to set the table, adding an extra place for Niki. Darry sets the food down and everyone sits to eat.  
The moment the dishes are cleared away and Soda and Pony have finished in the kitchen, Steve and Two-Bit come walking in through the front door, as though they had it timed.  
Two-Bit heads straight for the fridge and grabs himself a bottle of beer. Steve takes a slice of cake from the table.   
"Okay, I'm going to work. Don't mess the place up." Darry says.  
"Alright, party time!" Steve announces and recieves a hard stare from Darry that makes him add, "I was kiddin'."


	2. Chapter 2

Darry leaves for work and Soda, Steve, Two-Bit, Niki and Pony sit around watching Mickey Mouse cartoons on TV until there's a knock at the door. The gang exchange looks. Anyone they know usually just walks in. Only people they didn't know knocked at the door.  
Soda jumps up and answers the door.  
"Uh... Hi... Is Ponyboy here?" A red-haired girl asks.  
Pony, who had looked out the window and recognized the girl, runs to the door and pushes Soda out of the way.  
"Hi, Ponyboy." The girl smiles.  
"Hey, Jane." Ponyboy returns the smile.  
"Do you want to come in?" Soda says.  
Pony opens the door wider to allow his friend to enter the house. She looks about sixteen and is nervous.  
Steve whistles and makes her jump, but she smiles and blushes.  
"We're gonna go study." Ponyboy says and heads towards his and Soda's room. Jane follows him quietly.  
It's the first time Pony has invited Jane to his house. They have been together for almost a month and Pony hadn't said anything to any of the gang - not even his brothers - about Jane, for fear they would tease him.  
"Leave the door open." Soda calls to Pony.  
"Better not be studying chemistry or anatomy in there!" Steve calss out.  
Niki laughs at Steve's comment.  
Soda, Niki, Two-Bit and Steve go back to watching Mickey Mouse cartoons. After a few minutes, Soda gets restless and starts kicking at Steve's leg.  
At first, Steve ignores it, then he begins to get annoyed and starts kicking back. Within seconds, they start play fighting, throwing sofa cushions and rolling around the floor.  
Niki is laughing at them and Two-Bit is still engrossed in the Mickey Mouse cartoons.  
Suddenly, Soda jumps up and runs for the bedroom, Steve follows him.  
Soda stops at the door, noticing it's shut.  
"Shh." He says to Steve.  
Steve catches on quickly and they quietly open the bedroom door to find Pony and Jane laying on the bed, about to kiss.  
Steve lets out a yell like an indian and goes charging into the room and jumps on the bed. Soda follows him.  
"Hey, guys, we're trying to study." Ponyboy complains.  
"Yeah, what exactly are you studying?" Steve asks.  
"I thought i told you to leave the door open." Soda says.  
"How are we suppossed to concentrate with you guys making all that noise." Pony says.  
"How are you suppossed to concentrate with your lips stuck together?" Steve says.  
Jane blushes.  
"Hey, guys, Darry just pulled up." Niki announces from the front room.  
"What?" Pony and Soda both say at the same time.  
Soda, Steve and Two-Bit come out to the front room just as a tired, angry looking Darry comes in through the front door.  
"Darry?" Soda says. "What are y-?"  
"Whose car is parked outside?" Darry cuts Soda off.  
"It's Jane's." Soda says."pony's friend."  
"Where is Ponyboy?" Darry asks, his voice sounding angry.  
"In his room." Soda says.  
"Ponyboy! Out here now!" Darry yells.  
Pony and Jane come out of the bedroom. Darry looks at Jane and she feels uncomfortable and scared.  
"Darry, why aren't you at work?" Pony asks.  
"What are you doing in that room?" Darry asks.  
"Studying." Pony replies.  
"Chemistry and anatomy." Steve says.  
Darry flashes Steve a look that makes him shut up.  
"It's late. I think your friend should go home." Darry tells Pony.  
Pony looks at Jane apologetically.  
"It's ok." Jane smiles. "He's right. I should go."  
Pony walks Jane to her car and Darry stands in the doorway watching them.  
Just before Jane gets into her car, she kisses Ponyboy on the cheek.  
Pony stands and watches her drive off down the road, still feeling the warmth of her lips against his cheek. He turns and goes back into the house.


	3. Chapter 3

"I thought i told you not to mess up the house. I come home and find furniture everywhere and Ponyboy in the bedroom with a girl!" Darry yells.  
"Darry, nothing happened." Soda says softly as he picks up the sofa cushions.  
"Yeah, nothing happened because i came home just in time!"  
"No, nothing happened because Steve and Soda interupted us." Pony mutters.  
"Darry, what's gotten into you?" Soda asks. "Why aren't you at work?"  
"I got fired, okay?!" Darry yells.  
Everyone is quiet.  
"I'm going to bed. I want quiet." Darry says and disappears into his bedroom.  
Ponyboy looks at Soda. Everyone is quiet, not knowing how to react to Darry's news.  
"Wasn't that the job that payed the most?" Niki asks.  
"Yeah." Soda says.  
"I'm gonna get a job." Pony states.  
"No, Pony, you're going to stay in college." Soda says.  
"I can still go to college." Pony says. "Soda, Darry just lost his most important job. We're not going to have enough money to pay the bills. I'm going to get a part-time job."  
Soda looks at Pony and finally gives in, realizing Pony would get a job no matter how much he or Darry disuaded him.  
"Fine. But if you start slacking in your studies, you're giving up the job." Soda says.  
"Okay." Pony agrees.  
"Well, we should probably leave." Two-Bit says.  
"Yea, i'll see you at work tomorrow, buddy." Steve says. "Niki, you need a ride?"  
"Yeah, please." Niki kisses Soda on the cheek then follows Two-Bit and Steve out the door.  
"Come on Pony, Let's go to bed. Hopefully things will look better in the morning." Soda says.  
"Either that or it'll all come tumbling down around us." Pony says, remembering a time about four years ago when he had hoped things would be better in the morning, but every morning had gotten worse and it ended with two of his friends dying infront of him.  
THE NEXT DAY  
Soda woke up late and rushed to get ready for work.  
He skipped breakfast and ran all the way to the DX station.  
"Hey, buddy, where ya been?" Steve asks when Soda arrived at the gas station.  
"I woke up late." Soda says and sits down to put his shoes on.  
"Here comes an eye sore." Steve says.  
Soda looks up and sees Pony walking towards them.  
"Hey, Pony." Soda says.  
"Hey." Pony replies. "Darry was still in bed when i left."  
"Good. He needs to rest."  
"You lookin' for a job? cause you wont find one here." Steve says.  
Ponyboy shakes his head. "No, i don't wanna work here. I was gonna check out the new diner."  
"Be careful, Pony." Soda says as Pony turns to walk away.  
At noon, Niki met Soda at the DX and her, Soda and Steve decided to go to the new diner for lunch. They sat in a booth and watited for their order to be taken. Someone had put an Elvis song on the jukebox.  
There weren't many socs in the diner considering it was in a slightly richer part of town.  
"Can i take your order?" Their waiter finally arrived.  
Soda snapped his head up to look at the waiter, he had sounded almost exactly like...  
"Ponyboy?!" Soda gaped.  
Ponyboy looked at all three of them and grinned.  
"Are you working here?" Niki asked.  
"Nah, i'm just taking orders for fun." Pony replied sarcastically.  
"They hired you pretty quickly." Soda said, still shocked to see his kid brother in the diner uniform.  
"Well, as i was walking in, an employee was walking out. They needed someone to replace them and i offered." Pony explained with a big grin on his face.  
"Well, i'll have a cheeseburger, fries and chocolate shake." Steve said.  
Soda and Niki ordered too and Pony disappeared into the kitchen.  
"That's really good Pony got a job." Niki said optimistically.  
"Yeah," Soda said, his mind on something else.  
"Wonder how long he'll be here before the boss realizes he's good for nothing but daydreaming." Steve muttered pesimistically.


	4. Chapter 4

"Wonder how Darry will take the news." Soda said, ignoring Steve's comment.  
After work, Soda went home and found Darry sitting their Dad's old chair by the phone, looking through the job listings in the newspaper.  
"Find anything?" Soda asked.  
"Nope." Darry replied without looking up. "Where's Ponyboy?"  
"Uh...Well, he -" Before Soda could finish Pony walked through the front door.  
Darry looked up at him. "Where have you been all day?" He asked.  
"I got a job." Pony stated.  
"I've been wor-" Darry stopped his lecture when he realized what Pony had said. "You what?"  
"I got a job. Part-time so i can still go to college." Pony said.  
"You got a job?" Darry asked, and without waiting for a reply, he stood up and walked out of the house.  
"Now what's wrong?" Pony asked.  
Soda shook his head. "You shouldn't be working."  
"Why not? We need the money."  
"I know. But Darry... well, he doesn't want you to worry about things like that. He wants you to concentrate on college and let him handle the money and bills." Soda explained.  
Pony was still confused. Soda worked, so why couldn't he? But he let the subject drop. "What's for dnner?" He asked. "I'm starving."  
"Whatever you make." Soda said with a smile.  
Later that night, Soda was woken by the sound of the door opening and closing. He quietly got out of bed, making sure not to wake Ponyboy. He wandered into the front room. It was dark in the house, but he made out Darry's muscular frame in the moonlight.  
"Darry?" Soda whispered.  
"Yeah, little buddy." Dayy replied quietly.  
"Where ya been?" Soda asked.  
"Just out walking. I had to think about some things."  
"Sure was a long walk."  
"Well, i had alot to think about."  
"Darry, i know since mom and dad died you've felt like it's your responsibility to make sure this family stays together and we have a house and food and clothing, but me and Pony want to help too. You can't do it all by yourself."  
"I know, little buddy, i know." Darry sighed. "I just wanted you and Pony to have a better life than this."  
Soda let out a small laugh. "Everybody wants a better life, but if everybody got what they wanted, we'd all still be unhappy."  
"Yeah." Darry sighed again.  
Darry and Soda were quiet for a while. They could hear crickets chirping outside, a dog barking, distant sirens.  
"Hey," Darry said suddenly, breaking the silence and sounding optimistic, "What do you think of Marie?"  
"She's really nice. I like her." Soda replied, a little confused by the question.  
"Good. I think i'm going to aske her to marry me." Darry smiled.  
THE NEXT DAY  
Soda woke to find Darry making breakfast. He showered and dressed, then woke Pony.  
After breakfast, Darry went out to look for a job, Pony went to work at the diner and Soda went over to Niki's house.  
"Hi." Niki greeted Soda with a kiss on the cheek.  
"Hey." Soda smiled.  
"What's on the agenda for today?" Niki asked.  
"Whatever you want." Soda replied.  
"You're too happy. What happened? Niki asked suspiciously.  
Soda grinned. "You gotta promise not to tell anyone. Don't even let on to Darry that you know."  
"What? What is it?" Niki asked curiously.  
"Darry told me last night that he wants to marry Marie." Soda stated.  
"What?! That's great!" Niki exclaimed.  
"Yeah, but don't say anything to anyone."  
Niki shook her head, smilng. "I won't."  
"Come on, let's go get some lunch."  
"Okay. Let's go and harrass Ponyboy at the diner." Niki suggested.  
Soda laughed, his bright eyes dancing. "Okay."  
When they got to the diner they found Two-Bit and Steve harrassing Ponyboy.  
"Aw, come on, guys, i'm trying to work." Pony said. "Hey, Soda."


	5. Chapter 5

Steve and Two-Bit turned to see Soda. Steve jumped up and grabbed Soda in a bear-hug and swung him around, letting him go in the middle of spinning.  
"Hey, Steve." Soda laughed. "Miss me?"  
"Not a bit." Steve replied.  
"Hey, guys, are you actually gonna order something, or just goof around." Pony asked.  
"We're ordering." Soda said.  
"Nah, we're just gonna goof around." Steve said.  
Two-Bit was playing with the salt shaker on the table, amusing himself.  
"And we've got a whole day to waste." Steve added.  
"Great." Pony said sarcastically.  
"Hey, don't get mouthy, Ponyboy." Steve said in a warning tone.  
Soda and Niki sat in a booth and ordered.  
Two-Bit got bored with the salt shaker and began playing with the ketchup bottle instead.  
Just as Ponyboy walked past with Soda and Niki's food, red sauce squirted out of the bottle, narrowly missing Pony and landing on the floor.  
"Ok, guys, come on, you've had your fun. Time to leave now." Pony said, getting annoyed.  
"Watch your tone, kid." Steve warned, and stood up from the booth. "Come on, Two-Bit. We're not wanted around here. See you later, Soda."  
Two-Bit and Steve left.  
Niki and Soda hung out together most of the day, until Niki had to go home to look after her younger brother.  
Soda went home and found the house empty. It felt weird. Usually one of his brothers, one of the gang or Niki was there. It was kind of spooky to be there alone and it was quiet - too quiet.  
The phone rang, making Soda jump. He picked up the reciever, trying to calm his racing heart.  
"Hello?" He spoke into the phone.  
"Hey, Soda?" Came the voice on the other end.  
"Yeah, Steve?" Soda said.  
"Yeah. There's a party at Buck's tonight, you gonna come?" Steve asked.  
"I'm not sure. Maybe."  
"Bring Niki." Steve suggested.  
"She's babysitting." Soda stated.  
"Oh. Are you gonna help her 'babysit'?" Steve asked mischievously.  
"No." Soda laughed, knowing exactly what his friend meant.  
"Ok. Well, me and Two-Bit are going, so you wont be alone if you decide to go."  
"Alright, i'll think about it." Soda said and hung up the phone.  
An hour later Ponyboy came home from work. He found Soda sitting in the front room, watching T.V. He face was red and he looked tired.  
"Hey." Pony said.  
Soda nodded a hello.  
Pony went into the kitchen and a few seconds later came back out, looking puzzled.  
"What happened in there?" Pony asked.  
Soda looked at him, not sure what he meant, then suddenly remembered. "I made a cake." He stated.  
"Yeah, i see that." Pony said. "But, it's clean in there."  
"It's weird being in the house alone. It's too quiet." Soda said.  
Pony laughed.  
Soda had never really liked it when it was quiet - unless he was trying to sleep. He always liked to have someone else around or have the T.V or radio on.  
This time he had made a cake and cleaned the kitchen afterwards - just so it wouldn't be so quiet. Then he decided to sit and watch T.V, although he wasn't actually interested in it. He hardly ever watched T.V.  
"What are you doing later?" Pony asked.  
Soda shrugged. "I was gonna go to a party with Steve and Two-Bit. Why?"  
Pony looked down at his shoes, his face turning slightly red. "I was wondering if you could come to the movies with me and Jane."  
Soda looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You got a date?"  
Pony nodded, still not looking at Soda, and his ears turned redder.  
Soda grinned at his younger brother and jumped up, putting Pony in a headlock and rubbing the top of his head.  
"Aw, Soda, cut it out!" Pony said and laughed.  
Soda, Pony and Jane sat on the seat near the conscession stand and watched the movie in silence.


	6. Chapter 6

Almost half way through the movie, Soda began to get restless. He tried to sit still and watch the rest of the movie for Pony's sake, but soon he started fidgeting and couldn't seem to get comfortable.  
"Do you want a coke?" Soda asked Pony and Jane.  
"No thanks." Jane said and Pony shook his head.  
"Well, i'm gonna get a coke. I'll be back in a minute." Soda got up and walked to the conscession stand to get a drink. When he headed back to his seat, he caught sight of Pony and Jane kissing. Not wanting to interupt Pony's first kiss, Soda grabbed another chair and sat a few rows back, waiting for them to stop before rejoining them.  
They stopped kissing for a moment. Ponyboy looked around, then they started kissing again.  
"Great." Soda sighed to himself. "Should've known this would happen." He sat there for another five minutes or so, then got so restless he had to leave. He knew Pony would understand, and judging from the looks of things, he probably wouldn't even notice Soda was gone.  
Soda decided to head over to Buck's place for a little while, then go back for Pony and Jane.  
When he got to Buck's, Steve opened the door and he was hit with the loud music and the cigarette and alcohol aromers, some girls giggled and somewhere in there it sounded like a fight had broken out.  
Steve jumped on Soda. "Glad you could make it." He hollered above the noise. "Two-Bit's... over there... somewhere..." Steve waved his hand around and Two-Bit suddenly appeared and held out a bottle of beer for Soda.  
Soda refused the beer and stepped into the house. Steve let go of him and grabbed the bottle that Two-Bit had offered Soda.  
Two girls walked past them and Two-Bit grabbed the arm of the blond one, making her stop. Her friend stopped and stood beside her.  
Two-Bit started talking to the blond and cracking jokees. Her friend had short black hair and kept glancing at Soda. Steve walked over to her and began a conversation, but Soda noticed she kept letting her gaze slip in his direction. She was cute, but he would never cheat on Niki.  
Soda walked away, deeper into the noise and smoke filled house. There was a guy on the mechanical bull and a couple of girls watching him. Soda waited for him to fall off, then jumped on the bull. He was good... He had ridden horses before and knew how to stay in the saddle, but he wasn't the best and he would never claim to be.  
Another fight broke out, close to the mechanical bull. Soda ignored it and concentrated on not falling off. He was getting high from the adrenaline.  
Someonegot pushed and knocked into the controls, causing the bull to go faster. Soda hadn't been expecting it and fell.  
Just as he was picking himself up, he heard two loud bangs that sounded an awful lot like gun fire. and he found himself on the floor again. He tried to get back up, but couldn't move. There was some screaming and what sounded like people running.  
Suddenly Steve and Two-Bit were next to Soda, they were saying something to him, but was too confused to listen.  
"What's going on?" Soda asked.  
"You've been shot." Steve said plainly.  
Soda gave him a puzzled look. "Why?"  
Steve looked at Two-Bit who shrugged.  
Then there were sirens and a few seconds later, ambulance men. They lifted Soda onto a stretcher and began to carry him out of the house, into the ambulance.  
"Wait. What about Pony?" Soda called out to Steve and Two-Bit.  
"He's not here." Steve called back.  
Then the ambulance doors shut and Soda was taken to the hospital.  
Once they got to the hospital, there was a mask placed over Soda's nose and mouth and he started to fall asleep.  
When he woke up, Soda saw Darry sitting in a chair next to his bed. His eyes were closed and a newspaper lay on his lap.  
Soda tried to move quietly, but as soon as he put pressure on his right arm, pain shot across the entire right side of his chest and he let out a small yelp.  
Darry jerked awake. He saw Soda was awake and a look of concern and relief spread across his face. "Soda." He whispered.  
Soda grinned goofily at Darry. "Hey, Darry. How's it going?"  
Darry shook his head and didn't smile, his eyes full of worry. "How do you feel?" He asked.  
"The whole of my right side hurts." Soda admitted. "Darry?" Soda's grin disappeared.  
"Yeah, little buddy?"  
"What happened?" Soda asked.  
Darry looked down at his hands, remembering how he had found out Soda was in the hospital.  
-----------


	7. Chapter 7

Darry had been sitting at home, waiting for Pony and Soda to come back from the movies. He hadn't liked the idea of Pony going to the movies with Jane, but felt better about it when he found out Soda was going with them.  
Suddenly Steve and Two-Bit burst through the door, breathless and red-faced.  
"What's going on?" He asked them.  
They both stopped and looked at him. He knew there was something wrong in that instant and he grabbed his jacket and ran out the door to the truck.  
"Darry!" Steve called after him.  
Two-Bit ran to Darry and stopped him from getting in the truck. He managed to persuade him to go back into the house and listen to them.  
They explained everything that had happened and Darry was wrought with fear and worry for his kid brother.  
"Where's Ponyboy?" He asked.  
Steve and Two-Bit looked at each other.   
"He wasn't there." Steve said.  
Darry figured he must still be at the movies with Jane. He didnt like the idea of them being alone, but at that moment he was too worried about Soda to care about what they got up to.  
Steve and Two-Bit managed to convince Darry to stay at the house and wait for Pony to come home and then go and see Soda in the morning.  
As soon as Pony came home and Jane left, Darry told Pony everything. Once Pony was in bed, Darry left a note telling him to go to college and he would pick him up after, then he drove to the hospital and stayed there all night, just watching Soda sleep.  
-----------  
Darry looked back up at Soda. "You were shot." He stated.  
Soda was quiet for a moment, thinking about something.  
"I don't remember it." Soda said.  
"The doctor said you probably wouldn't."  
"Who shot me?" Soda asked calmly. "Why?"  
"We don't know." Darry shook his head again. "There were alot of people at Buck's, but no-one took any notice when the fight started. If anyone knows anything, they're keeping quiet."  
Soda nodded. "Where's Ponyboy?"  
"At college. I hope." Darry looked at his watch. "I have to go and pick him up soon."  
"Was he mad that i left him at the drive-in?" Soda asked. "I was going to go back after a few minutes."  
Darry looked at Soda as though he'd gone crazy, then smiled. "I don't think he could've been happier." He stood and picked up his jacket, then added, "I think he was more upset that i wouldn't let Him and Jane alone. I think he's been spending too much time with you."  
Soda grinned, knowing what Darry meant. "I'm just helping to raise the kid."  
Darry couldn't resist smiling at Soda. "You have enough trouble with girls, we don't need him being girl crazy too." Darry joked. "I'll be back later. The doctor said you have to stay here for a few days. Want me to bring you something?"  
"Yeah," Soda's eyes glistened. "Niki."  
Darry rolled his eyes. "I should have known." He shook his head, laughing and walked out of the room. He went to get Pony from school.  
Soda lay in the hospital bed, bored out of his mind and finding it too painful to move. He inspected himself and found he had a bandage around his chest. He lifted it up as much as he could and saw he had stitches in his side, just below his right lung.  
"A little higher and you would probably have died." A nurse came into the room. "Of course, a little lower and you could've died too." She stated.  
"Guess it was a lucky shot, huh?" Soda commented.  
The nurse regarded him cooly.  
She checked all the equipment in the room and hooked up a new I.V, then left and Soda found himself alone again.  
Soda woke to the sound of a door closing. He saw Niki walking towards him.  
"Sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to wake you."  
"It's okay." Soda smiled at her. "You took your time getting here."  
"Sorry." Niki apologized again. "How are you feeling?"  
"Bored." Soda stated.  
Niki laughed. "Well, i just spoke to the doctor and he said you'll be able to go home in a few days."  
Soda smiled again, but it wasn't his usual 'happy-go-lucky' smile, it was almost a fake smile.  
"Are you sure you're okay?" Niki asked.  
The door opened again and Pony ran into the room.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey, Soda." He jumped onto the bed.  
Darry entered the room and rolled his eyes, sighing. "I told you to take it easy, Pony."  
"I am." Pony insisted.  
Soda laughed at his kid brother. "How's work?"  
"Work?" Pony asked, screwing up his face. "Wish i hadn't gotten that job."  
Darry and Soda both laughed, then Two-Bit and Steve came running into the room.  
"Where's the wounded soldier?" Steve asked and picked Pony up off the bed, dropping him onto the floor.  
Pony landed on his butt and sat there for a few seconds, looking up at Steve, but being too happy to think anything mean about him.  
"Well, this is one big reunion, huh?" Soda joked.  
"I got you somethin'." Two-Bit said and threw a pair of sunglasses at Soda.  
"You mean you swipped somethin'." Soda corrected him.  
Two-Bit shrugged, "What's the difference?"  
"When is he gonna need sunglasses in a hospital?" Steve asked.  
Two-Bit just looked at Steve as though he wasn't sure if he had been insulted or complimented.  
"Stupid bum." Steve muttered and shook his head.  
Soda smiled and put the sunglasses on the bedside table. "So what's been going on since i've been stuck in here?"  
"Not much." Darry said nonchallantly, and added, "I got a job."  
"Yeah?" Soda perked up."  
"It's nothing special." Darry shrugged. "I'm helping to coach a kid's football team."  
"Nothing special?" Pony, who had gotten up off the floor by now, turned and looked at Darry accusingly. "Nothing special? Soda, you should've seen him after he was accepted for the job. I couldn't get him to sit still or talk about anything else. He's so excited."  
Darry blushed slightly and smiled.  
"That's great." Soda said enthusiaitically.   
A FEW DAYS LATER  
Soda woke and found Darry wandering around the room, picking things up and humming to himself.  
"Can't you stop cleaning for one second?"  
Darry spun around with a big smile and quit humming. "Can't you keep anything tidy for one second?" He countered.  
Soda grinned. "Why are you so happy?"  
"The doc said you can go home today." Darry announced.  
Soda sat up and ignored the shooting pain that ran across his right side.  
"Seriously?" He asked, his grin getting bigger.  
Darry nodded. "Why do you think i'm packing your things?" Darry's face went serious. "But the doc said you have to rest up for a few days. You can't move around too much because the wound might bleed and you'll have to come back for more stitches."  
"What about work?" Soda asked.  
Darry shrugged. "Steve informed them about what happened, they've given you a week off."  
"So i just gotta sit around and be bored." Soda sighed. "I can do that here."  
Just then, the door opened and Niki came into the room with a wheelchair.  
Soda shook his head at her, a small smile spreading across his face. "I'm not an invalid, Niki. I can walk."  
"I know." Niki smiled, her eyes bright with amusement. "I was hoping you'd push me."  
Soda laughed. "Darry'll push you."  
"No, i wont." Darry protested.  
Niki gave Darry a puppy-dog look and he couldn't help but smile.  
"You can look as cute as you want, i'm not pushing you." Darry said.  
"Did you hear that, Soda? Your big brother thinks i'm cute." Niki said with a mischevious look.  
"I better keep my eye on you two." Soda said playfully.  
"You guys are crazy." Darry shook his head and went back to packing Soda's things.  
Back at the Curtis' house  
Darry helped Soda get out of the truck and into the house. He lowered him ontot the sofa gently.  
"Anything you want?" Darry asked. "A drink? Something to eat?"  
Soda shook his head and smiled at his big brother.  
Niki sat down next to Soda and he put his arm around her. He had missed her while he was in the hospital.  
Pony sat down on the other side of Soda and Darry sat in their father's chair.  
Everyone was quiet not really knowing what to say.


	9. Chapter 9

After a little while, Darry looked over and saw Soda asleep, Niki resting on his shoulder and Pony curled up in the corner of the sofa.  
He smiled at the sight. Then, not wanting to disturb any of them, he quietly went to his bedroom and got into his bed, falling asleep almost instantly.  
It had been a long day.  
Soda woke with a start as bright sunlight filtered into the room through the partly drawn blinds.  
He spotted Darry moving to and from the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.  
Soda gently moved Niki so she was resting on Pony's shoulder. He stood and walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. His side ached and it hurt a little to walk, but he wouldn't show it. He didn't like people making a fuss of him.  
Darry came into the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks, a little startled to see Soda in the there.  
"Good morning." Darry said quietly with a smile.  
"Mornin'." Soda replied into his glass.  
"Sleep well?" Darry asked.  
Soda nodded as he emptied the glass.  
"Good. I have to go to work." Darry informed him, finishing off the cup of coffee that was on the kitchen counter. "I'll be finished around four."  
"ok." Soda said. "Don't work too hard."  
"Oh, i almost forgot." Darry spun around to face Soda. "Someone called for you a few times. She wouldn't say her name, but she left a number. She said it was important."  
Soda picked up the slip of paper with the number written on. He recognized it instantly.  
Darry left and the house was quiet apart from Pony and Niki's soft breathing and the gentle dripping from the bathroom shower.  
Soda walked over to the phone and looked at it. He was about to pick it up and dial the number when a sleepy Niki hugged him from behind.  
"G'mornin'." She whispered sleepily into his ear. He felt her warm breath against his neck and it sent a shiver down his spine.  
He turned to face her and smiled. "How are you?"  
"I should be asking you that." Niki replied and smiled at him. "Who are you calling?"  
Soda put the piece of paper in his pocket and shrugged. "No-one."  
He pulled Niki in closer to him and kissed her, feeling her push herself against him.  
He put his hands around her waist and held her as close to him as he could while they kissed. He loved to feel her body against his.  
Suddenly they heard Ponyboy cough.  
Soda pulled away and saw a red-faced Pony standing in the kitchen, looking away from them, pouring himself a glass of chocolate milk.  
Soda looked at Niki and they both laughed a little. Then Niki went and sat on the sofa and Soda joined Pony in the kitchen.  
"That's what a bedroom's for." Pony told his brother, still blushing.  
Soda messed with his hair and smiled at him. "What about drive-ins?"  
Pony blushed a deeper red, realizing that Soda had seen him kissing Jane.  
Soda laughed again.  
"I have to go to work." Pony said, disappearing into the bathroom.  
Soda carefully sat down on the sofa next to Niki.  
"Shouldn't you be at work?" He asked her.  
She shook her head and smiled. "Not for another hour. I asked for the morning off so i could entertain you."  
Soda looked at her, then cracked a grin. She knew him well. He had been dreading having to stay home alone, not being able to do anything. At least she could stay with him until Pony came home for his lunch break.  
He wasn't sure what he would do after that though.  
"So what do you want to do for the next hour?" Niki asked.  
Soda shrugged. "I can't do much." He sighed. "Doc says i'm not allowed to move around too much incase the stitches tear."  
"How about a game of cards?" Niki suggested.  
"Sure. I guess." Soda agreed.  
They sat playing different card games for an hour, then Pony came home for his lunch break and Niki had to head off to work.  
"I'll come over after work." Niki said and kissed him on the cheek before leaving.


	10. Chapter 10

"Want something to eat?" Pony asked Soda as he disappeared into the kitchen.  
"Depends what your making." Soda said. He eased himself of the sofa and stood in the kitchen doorway, watching Pony make himself some lunch. He made Soda something too, then, after thirty minutes, headed back to work again.  
"I'll be home a little later than usual. One of the staff called in sick and i have to make up for their shift." Pony informed Soda.  
When Pony left, the house was quiet again. Soda leant against the wall next to the phone.  
He suddenly remebered the piece of paper in his pocket with the phone number on it and decided to make a phone call.   
"Hello?" A girl answered the phone.  
Soda hesitated for a second. "Uh, yeah, hi -"  
"Soda?" The girl asked before he could finish.  
"Yeah." Soda replied.  
"Oh, i'm so glad you called back. I was begining to think you weren't going to." The girl said.  
Soda was quiet for a moment. "What do you want, Sandy?" He asked.   
"Soda... i..." Sandy started. "I have something to ask you."  
"What is it?" Soda asked.  
"Well... i don't want to do this over the phone. Can we meet somewhere?" Sandy asked.  
"I don't know. I have a girlfriend." Soda informed her. he wasn't being mean, he just wanted her to know where she stood.  
"I know." Sandy said. "I'm sorry. This is really important and i don't want to do it over the phone."  
"Okay." Soda sighed. "Where? When?"  
"Today?" Sandy asked.  
"That important?"  
"Yes. Soda..." Sandy sighed. "Is an hour okay? At the park?"  
"Sure. I'll be there in an hour." Soda agreed and hung up the phone.  
Soda approached the park. He was early, but he couldn't take being stuck in the house any longer and he knew it would take him a little longer to get to the park than usual.  
He sat on a swing and gently swayed back and forth, waiting. He noticed a couple of birds dancing on the grass. He watched them, lost in thought.  
"Hello." A voice interupted his thoughts.  
Soda's head snapped around and he stood quickly, reflexively and saw Sandy standing in front of the swing set.  
"Hey." He said, and that's when he noticed what was in Sandy's hands. He looked down. She was holding the bar of a stroller. He looked further down. There was a baby in the stroller.  
The baby was awake and looking at him quizically. A pain shot across Soda's chest as he looked into the baby's eyes.  
"You had the baby then." Soda said, trying as hard as he could to keep his voice sounding normal.  
"Of course i did." Sandy said. She didn't say it in a mean way. "What did you think i was going to do?"  
Soda shook his head. "I don't know."  
They stood in silence for a while, then Soda looked at Sandy. He looked into her eyes.  
There used to be a time in his life when he looked into those eyes and felt warmth, love. He felt safe and cared for. Now he felt nothing but coldness. Not from her, from himself. He felt something jolt in his chest. He had been willing to marry her, but she had just left him. She broke his heart and ruined her reputation all in the same day. And earlier that month he had lost two of his friends, and very nearly, his younger brother. Her timing had been impecible.  
"I'm sorry." Sandy said, lowering her head, as though she had just read his mind. "Do you want to hold him?"  
"Why would i want to hold him?" Soda asked, failing to keep the bitterness from his voice.  
"Because you're his dad." Sandy stated plainly. She said it as if it was a worldwide known fact.  
"I'm what?!" Soda balked.  
Sandy looked at him. She was telling the truth, he could tell. He could always tell when she was lying by looking into her eyes.  
He shook his head, unable to comprehend what was happening.  
"But you said..." Soda trailed off.  
"I know." Sandy bit her lip. "I thought he wasn't yours. I was sure of it. But i had a blood test done and ... well, he's yours." She told him. "Ours."  
"No. Not ours." Soda looked at her hard. "Never ours, Sandy. You left me, remember? I can't just forget about that."  
Sandy nodded.  
"Why are you doing this, Sandy?" Soda asked.  
"Doing what?" Sandy's voice was almost a whisper.  
"Why are you trying to get back in my life? I have a girlfriend."


	11. Chapter 11

"I know. I'm not." Sandy said defensively, as though someone had accused her of doing something she hadn't done. "Please, Soda. Believe me. I'm not trying to get back with you. I just thought you should know you have a son."  
"Well, now i know..."  
"Is that it then?" Sandy asked.  
"What do you expect me to do?"  
Sandy regarded Soda with cold eyes. Not cold with hatred; cold with pain.  
"Come on, Patrick. Your daddy doesn't want to know you." Sandy said to the baby. "But i should have known better." She turned the stroller around and walked away.  
Soda watched her numbly. When he couldn't see her anymore, he walked back to his house and was surprised to find tears rolling down his cheeks.  
As Soda walked, tears streaming down his face, all he could think about was how much this would hurt Niki. He couldn't tell her. He had just about decided his week couldn't get any worse when a car drove past him, slowed down, stopped, reversed, and three socs jumped out.  
Soda sighed heavily and walked faster. He quit crying and hurridly brushed the tears off his cheeks.  
"Hey Grease, where're ya goin'?" He heard one of the socs call out after him.  
Soda slouched slightly and hooked his thumbs in his pockets. He didn't need this right now.  
"Come back and talk to us." Another soc called.  
He could hear them walking towards him. They were walking fast. He walked faster, almost jogging now. His side hurt.  
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he was spun around. As soon as one of the soc's faces came into view, he swung at them and hit them square in the jaw.  
The other two were on him in a flash.  
If it was one on one or even just two against one, Soda could have managed it, but not three against one. That was unfair and he didn't stand a chance.  
He swung at the two that had jumped on him and put every ounce of strength behind every blow.  
He managed to break one of the socs' nose, but they kept coming at him.  
One of them punched him so hard he got dizzy and felt as though he might black out. He fought it back, trying his hardest to stay conscious. He couldn't black out in front of socs. Who knows what they would do to him if he was unconscious.  
He felt himself slipping into darkness and fought harder.  
Suddenly he could hear voices, someone shouting. He recognized the voices, but couldn't see anything. It had all gone black. He felt himself fall and hit the sidewalk. It hurt. His side was hurting even more now and it felt wet. He was confused, he didn't know what was going on.  
"Steve?" He whispered, then everything went quiet.  
Soda stirred and woke, blinking his eyes a few toimes until they adjusted to the dull light.  
He noticed he was in his room, in his bed. His side hurt like crazy. He tried to move, but it hurt more so he just lay still in the bed. He turned his head and saw Niki laying next to him,asleep. She looked so peaceful, he didn't want to wake her. He wondered what it would be like to wake up next to Niki everyday, then he remembered Sandy and tears stung the back of his eyes.  
Is this how it would be from now on?  
Every time he looked at, or thought about Niki, would he remember Sandy and how much it would hurt Niki to find out about everything? He began to wonder if they would be able to have a future together - him and Niki. Would he have to lie to her every day? he couldn't tell her. He couldn't hurt her like that. He liked her too much. maybe even... loved her. He wasn't sure. He thought he had loved Sandy. He didn't want to make the same mistake. This time he was being cautious. If he got his heart broken again, or even if he broke Niki's heart, it would kill him.  
He felt hot tears rolling down his cheeks and landing on the pillow.He looked at Niki through blurry eyes. She looked so fragile. He looked away and took a deep quivering breath.  
"Soda?" Niki whispered. She propped herself up on one elbow and looked at him. "Soda, are you okay?" She asked.  
Soda managed to nod and quit crying. He had always been good at stopping himself from crying.  
"How are you feeling?" Niki asked, looking at Soda with concern.  
"I'm fine." Soda forced a smile, then admitted, "My side hurts."  
"Yea, i bet." Niki stated. "Darry had to re-stitch it."  
"Darry?" Soda asked, a little confused.  
"Yea. He said you couldn't go to the hospital because he still hasn't paid the last hospital bill and he thinks it'll be quite a while before it gets paid. So he stitched you up himself. It was either him or Steve." Niki informed Soda.  
"I didn't know he knew how." Soda said.   
"Me neither, but he did a pretty good job."  
Soda smiled again. "I guess better than what Steve might have done."


	12. Chapter 12

They were both quiet for a moment, then Niki spoke. "What were you doing outside? You were supposed to be resting." She sounded like a mother.  
Soda swallowed. He hadn't been expecting her to ask him that. "Oh, you know me." He said quickly and grinned. "I hate to be couped up, bored, alone... did i mention bored?"  
Niki laughed a little, then her expression changed and Soda thought she was going to start crying.  
"Well, i hope that fight cured your boredom." She said.  
"Niki..." She really looked like she was going to cry. "I didn't go looking for a fight. I just went for a walk."  
"Alone? You know that's pretty much the same thing as going out to look for a fight in this neighborhood."  
"I don't need a lecture from you, Niki."  
Niki looked at Soda and they were both quiet again.  
"I was scared, when Darry was stitching you up. I was scared that you might die, or maybe you'll get an infection. I just don't like being scared. There are enough things around here to make me a nervous wreck, you don't need to add on to the list." Niki said truthfully.  
"I'm sorry." Soda said and held out his arms.  
Niki lowered herself softly onto his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.  
She felt safe in his strong, warm arms.  
All he could think about was Sandy and the baby...  
After just a few moments, Soda fell asleep again, with Niki laying on his chest.  
The next time he woke, he found Pony sitting on the bed, reading a book and smoking. Niki was no longer in the room. He had been woken by the sound of Darry's voice.  
"Pony! Put it out!" Darry's voice came again.  
Soda guessed Darry could smell the cigarette.  
"Hey, Soda." Pony smiled down at him. "How you feelin'?"  
Soda reached his hand up and took the cigarette from Pony before he stubbed it out and took a long drag on it. It seemed to make him feel a little calmer, but not much. He had never been much of a smoker.  
"Something bothering you?" Pony asked as he took the cigarette back.  
Soda shook his head. "More than you know."  
"Wanna talk about it?" Pony offered.  
Soda shook his head again.  
pony shrugged and went back to reading the book. Soda took the cigarette from him again and took another drag.  
"Damn it, Ponyboy! What have i told you about - " Darry stopped midsentence when he spotted Soda was the one holding the cigarette. He sighed at Soda but didn't say anything.  
"You feeling better, kiddo?" Darry asked.  
Soda took yet another drag on the cigarette. "That's some fancy needlework you did, huh?" Soda said to Darry.  
"My best yet." Darry replied.  
For the rest of the day Soda slept on and off. He woke occassionally and found different people in the room. One time he found Steve and Two-Bit in there and heard Darry call them out, telling them to leave him to rest.  
He didn't see Niki again though.  
One time he woke to find Pony returning a book to his desk.  
"Hey, Pony." Soda croaked, his throat feeling a little dry.  
Pony wipped around, surprised to hear Soda's voice.  
"Where's Niki?" Soda asked.  
"She left." Pony said. "After you fell asleep with her. She woke up and left. Said she'd come by to check on you tomorrow."  
"Oh." Soda said and fell asleep again.  
Soda slept the rest of that day and didn't wake again until the next morning.  
Pony was already up and, looking at the clock, Soda guessed he had already gone to work. Darry would be at work too, so once again, Soda was alone.  
He sighed heavily to himself, threw off the bed covers, inspected his side, and decided to take a shower.  
it stung when the warm water hit his side, so he kept the wound away from the water. It also slightly hurt when he bent in any direction, so he didn't get to have much of a shower.  
After he showered, bandaged his side, dressed, and ate, he found himself bored, longing for something to do. He switched on the radio and began playing cards.  
After about an hour, Niki walked in through the front door.  
"Hey." She smiled at Soda. "How are you feeling?"  
Soda looked up. "Hey, i'm fine." He said, then went back to his card game.


	13. Chapter 13

"Good." Niki said and sat in the chair opposite him. "Can i get you anything? A drink, or something to eat?" She offered.  
Soda shook his head. "I'm okay."  
There was silence for a while and Soda didn't look up from the cards in front of him.  
"Are you sure everything is okay?" Niki asked.  
"Yep." Soda said in a fake cheerful voice, still not looking up from the cards.  
"Okay, well i just wanted to come by and check on you before i went to work." Niki informed him.  
Soda nodded and smiled a polite 'thank-you' smile.  
He seemed to be absorbed in the game and didn't even say anything when Niki got up and walked out of the house.  
After she left, Soda threw the cards he had been holding across the room and sat back in his chair.  
He hated hurting Niki and he didn't know why he had just done that. It came over him all of a sudden and he wished it hadn't. He wished he could go back and change it, but it was too late. He wasn't sure how Niki was feeling, but she was probably hurt and confused.  
So was Soda. But he didn't need to take it out on Niki. She hadn't done anything wrong. He needed her.  
Soda spent the next few days stuck at home, playing cards, watching T.V, cleaning the house, alternating from spending a lot of time with Niki to blanking her completely.  
It was about a week and a half before Soda went back to work.  
He grateful to be able to get out of the house again. He had begun to feel like a recluse. Only being allowed out when Darry or Pony or Steve or Two-Bit were with him, and then only going so far as the vacant lot or nearest store and only for short periods at a time.  
Soda had begun smoking more, too. Pony was the first to notice this as Soda often bummed cigarettes from him.  
Pony noticed other changes in his brother, too, but didn't say anything about it to anyone, figuring it might change once he got back to work. But it didn't.  
Soda was happier than ever to finally get out of the house and get back to work. He put as much energy as he could exert into fixing the cars.  
Steve slowly began to notice changes in Soda - the same things Pony had noticed.  
Soda barely spoke to any girls, at times even ignoring Niki.  
There were even times when Steve would be talking to Soda only to find he hadn't been paying any attention to the conversation.  
Finally, Steve got annoyed with Soda's attitude change and confronted him.  
Steve was over the Curtis' house one afternoon during Soda's lunch break. Darry and Pony were both at work.  
"What's up with you?" Steve asked Soda as he hopped on to one of the kitchen counters.  
"Huh?" That had become a regular reply from Soda. Either that or a shrug.  
"What's wrong?" Steve repeated.  
Soda shrugged. "Nothin'. Why?"  
"WHY?!" Steve gawked. "Where have you been lately?"  
Soda stopped pouring soda into his glass and set the bottle on the counter, looking up at Steve. "What are you talking about?" He asked.  
Steve sighed and rolled his eyes. "You've been acting ... well ... not like yourself." Steve said.  
"Who have i been acting like then? Darry? Pony?" The tone in Soda's voice indicated that he was getting annoyed.  
"You know what i mean." Steve said in an equally annoyed tone. "Ever since you came back from the hospital you've been different."  
"How? How am i different? Im still Sodapop Patrick Curtis."  
"Yea, but you've changed." Steve stated. "And not for the better." He hopped off the counter and looked straight at Soda. "You don't even seem to like Niki anymore."  
Soda looked stunned, then straightened up. "So what if i don't."  
Steve's expression didn't change. "Everybody has secrets, things they don't want anyone else knowing about or getting involved in, but that's no reason to shut everyone out."  
Before Soda could reply, Steve headed for the door.  
"Steve." Soda called out softly.  
Steve barely heard him, but stopped just short of the door and turned to see Soda leaning in the kitchen doorway. He looked upset, almost ready to cry. Steve just stood there, waiting for Soda to speak.  
Soda paused for a long moment, wanting to tell Steve everything, but scared to say a word.  
"Sandy had the baby." He said finally.  
Steve flinched slightly.  
"I'm a father." Soda stated and a lump formed in his throat at the sound of his own words. He tried to swallow, but that just made the lump bigger.


	14. Chapter 14

Steve stood looking at Soda. His expression softened, but he still didn't speak, as though he was waiting for Soda to say something else.  
"I'm sorry." Soda apologized.  
Steve shook his head. "That's why you've been acting like this?"  
"I guess." Soda shrugged. "I don't know what to do."  
"What did Sandy tell you?"  
Soda told Steve everything in a quivering voice, trying as hard as he possibly could to keep from crying, though a few tears strayed.  
"I'm guessing you haven't told Niki."  
"How can i?" Soda's voice rose. "She'd hate me."  
"She'll hate you if you continue treating her the way you have been lately." Steve said.  
Soda sighed. "She probably hates me anyway. I broke up with her today."  
Steve sighed.  
"Sandy wants me to take the baby or her parents will make her put it up for adoption." Soda explained.  
"Will you?" Steve asked.  
Soda nodded. "I can't have my kid in foster care."  
"Have you told Darry or Pony?"  
Soda shook his head. "You're the only person i've told. No-one else knows anything." soda said, then hurridly added, "Don't tell."  
"Hey, i'm not saying a word. That's your responsibility."  
Soda tells Darry and Pony everything. Steve agrees to sit with him while he tells them, for moral support.  
Pony is shocked and doesn't know how to act or what to say.  
Darry fumes and begins to tell Soda how stupid and irresponsible he is for getting into the situation.  
Soda runs off and Steve stays behind to try and calm Darry down.  
As soon as Darry began yelling at Soda, Soda knew it was a mistake to have told him. Soda couldn't take anymore and ran out of the house, leaving Pony and Steve to calm Darry down.  
He kept running until he found himself outside Sandy's house.He turned and faced the house and saw Sandy sitting on the doorstep, holding the baby.  
He took a step towards the gate, then stopped when Sandy loked up at him. She looked truely upset and Soda had a feeling it wasn't because of him.  
Sandy stood and, still holding the baby, made her way towards Soda. The closer she got to him, the easier it was for Soda to see the pain in her eyes.  
"What is it?" Soda asked, feeling concerned.  
"My parents..." Sandy started. She took a deep breath and Soda could tell she was trying not to cry. "I was going to tell you, but..."  
"But i acted like a jerk?" Soda offered.  
Sandy nodded. "For lack of a better word." She laughed, though Soda could tell she really wanted to cry.  
"What is it?" Soda repeated.  
"My parents want me to put him up for adoption." Sandy looked at the baby.  
"Why?" Soda asked, his eyes went round with shock and he too looked at the baby.  
"They say he's getting in the way of my life." Sandy stated. "Soda..."  
Sandy looked at the ground and Soda realized she was fighting really hard to keep the tears from falling.  
"I wanted to ask you at the park..." She trailed off again.  
"Sandy..." Soda tilted Sandy's face so she was looking at him. "I told Darry, Pony and Steve."  
Sandy looked slightly relieved.  
"Darry blew off on me." Soda sighed, "He'll calm down though."  
"Are you sure?" Sandy suddenly looked desperate.  
Soda shrugged. "It's Darry. You know what he's like. He'll be fine."  
Sandy nodded. She knew how Darry was. She had witnessed him, Pony and Soda fighting too many times to not know what he was like.  
"Soda, take him." Sandy suddenly said.  
Soda was confused. "Huh?" Was all he could reply.  
"Take our baby and look after him."  
"What?" Soda was more confused than ever.  
"I can't give my baby up for adoption." She stated, tears blurring her eyes. "He's yours as much as mine."  
"That's no reason-"


	15. Chapter 15

"Do you want a complete stranger raising your son?" Sandy questioned. "You don't know what kind of home he'd go to, or if he'd even go to any kind of homw at all."  
Soda looked at the baby again. He understood what she was saying and, as much as he hated the idea of someone else raising his child, he didn't think he had any other choice. Darry would definately go off the deep end if Soda returned with a baby.  
Soda looked at Sandy. Her eyes were pleading, begging.  
"I can't..." Soda shook his head. "Work, Darry, Pony, bills...It's too much."  
Sandy nodded understandingly. She turned to walk back towards the house, but something caught Soda - a feeling of some kind - and he took hold of her arm. When she turned back to face him, Soda took the baby in his arms.  
"I just wanted to hold him." Soda said. "What's his name?"  
"Patrick." Sandy almost whispered. "It's his father's middle name."  
Soda nodded and smiled at the small child that sat happily in his strong arms. "How old is he?"  
"Almost three." Sandy said. "He'll be three in a week."  
"When do you want me to take him?"  
"Oh, Soda!" Sandy threw her arms around him, "Do youreally mean it? Thank you!" She pulled away and looked Soda in the eye. "Thank you so much!" She threw her arms around him again and began to cry. "You have no idea how grateful i am."  
"There's just one condition." Soda said and Sandy pulled away from him again. "You have to help me look after him. I don't have a clue about kids."  
"Oh, of course!" Sandy radiated joy. "You'll be a great father, i know it."  
"Well..?" Soda asked.  
"What?" Snady's forehead creased in confusion.  
"When did you want me to take him?"  
"The sooner, the better." Sandy said, and turned towards her house. "I'll get some of his things for you now and drop off the rest tomorrow."  
"Wait..." Soda looked uncertainly at Sandy. "You want me to take him now?!"  
"Sure." Sandy shrugged. "Look, my parents are more than ready to give him away. You have to take him before they have a chance to interfere." She started walking away again, then paused and turned back. "Don't worry, you'll be great."  
Before Soda could argue, Sandy disappeared into her house.  
"Well..." Soda sighed and spoke to his son. "I guess you'll get to witness the wrath of uncle Darry sooner than you would want to."  
Soda pushed the stroller through the gate and towards the porch steps. He stopped and put down the bags he was carrying.  
"Stay here, kid." He said to the baby. "I have to prepare your uncle Darry. We don't want him to have a heart attack." The baby made a few happy noises, then Soda walked into the house.  
Steve was still there. he sat on the sofa and Soda guessed, by the fact he could hear Mickey Mouse, That Two-Bit was around somewhere too.  
"Where's Darry?" Soda called to Steve over the TV.  
Steve pointed to the bathroom just as the door opened. Soda gulped as Darry stepped through the door.  
Darry paused when he saw Soda and forced a smile. "Hey, kid." He said.  
"Uh, hey, Darry." Soda replied.  
Darry turned towards the kitchen.  
"Can we talk?" Soda asked.  
"Sure, kid." Darry forced another smile. "Hey, Steve, Two-Bit, turn that thing down! You're not deaf!"  
"What?" Two-Bit emerged from the dining room. "What was that, Darry? What did you say? I didn't hear you." Two-Bit joked around.  
Steve turned the TV off.  
"Hey!" Two-Bit objected. "I was watch-"  
Darry quieted him and looked towards the door. "What was that?" He asked.  
"Uh, Darry..." Soda said quickly. "I need to talk to you."  
The sound came again and Pony came into the house looking confused. "Why is there a ba-"  
"Darry!" Soda interupted Pony and tried to get Darry's attention. Steve came out of the dining room to see what was going on.  
Pony looked at Soda and quickly figured it out. "Oh, Soda.. You didn't..."  
Soda flashed a look at Pony, trying to get him to be quiet. Darry walked towards the front door.  
"Darry, please." Soda begged.


	16. Chapter 16

Soda woke to a quiet house. He lay in bed for a few moments, enjoying the stillness, then he realized it was /too/ quiet. Why wasn't the baby making any noise, or the TV turned on? Why wasn't anyone talking?

He jumped out of his bed and went into the front room. Everything was so quiet and still. He looked over towards the sofa and realized why.

Steve and Two-Bit were laying next to each other, fast asleep, and the baby was asleep on Two-Bit's stomach.

For a moment he was jealous, then he saw how cute and funny they looked. He grabbed the camera from Darry's room and snapped a few photographic pictures. The flash woke Steve up.

"Hey." Soda grinned.

Steve looked at the camera. "What are you doin' with that?"

"Blackmail." Soda joked. "Was he a lot of trouble?"

"Nah, his mom would be shocked at the amount of work i got him to do." Steve quipped.

Soda laughed. "I meant the baby."

"Oh." Steve said as though he really didn't know what Soda had meant. "He was fine. We fed him, changed him, entertained and he put Two-Bit to sleep."

"Thanks for your help."

"Anytime." Steve smiled. "I gotta go. See ya later."

When Steve left, the door accidently slammed shut, causing the baby to wake up.He whimpered a little and sat up.

"Hey, kid." Soda picked up the baby and Two-Bit woke up. "Hey, thanks for all your help."

"Aw, it was nothing. The kid's great." Two-Bit grinned. "I'm thinking about getting one for myself." Two-Bit got up and headed for the door.

"Just bring it back here." Soda said as Two-Bit left.

Soda went to the kitchen to find something to eat for himself and the baby. He didn't hear the door open, or Ponyboy enter the house.

"I got some food for the kid." Pony announced from the kitchen doorway, making Soda jump.

"What did you get?" Soda asked.

"Just some stuff kids like." Pony began unpacking groceries.

"You know what kids like to eat?" Soda asked, a little surprised.

Pony shrugged. "Jane has younger brothers and sisters."

"You spend a lot of time at her house?"

Pony it shrugged again. "What's it matter?"

Soda looked at Pony, trying to figure out what he meant, but decided it'd be better to just let it go.

"Thanks, Pony." Soda put a hand on Pony's shoulder to let him know he really meant it.

Once again, Pony shrugged. "It's no big deal."

For the next few weeks, things weren't so easy at the Curtis' house.

Pony proved he knew more about kids than Soda. Darry hardly spoke to Soda, spending the majority of his time at work, puttingin as much overtime as possible.

Sandy visisted as often as she could, helping Soda and trying to teach him, but Soda just wasn't picking it up as quickly as he wanted to.

One day, Darry got home early from work and found the baby alone inthe front room while Soda was taking a shower.

When Soda stepped out of the bathroom, he found Darry holding the baby and ready to blow.

"Hey." Soda said, a little unsurely.

"What in the world were you thinking?" Darry asked, only just managingin to control his tone.

"What?" Soda asked, looking confused.

"You don't leave a kid alone." Darry stated.

"He's fine." Soda rolled his eyes.

Darry raised his eyebrows. "Fine? Look at him! Look at his eyes! Do you see how red they are!" Darry couldn't control his temper any longer. "He was screaming when i walked in! How long have you been in there?"

"Only twenty mintues."

"Twenty minutes?! You left him out here alone, crying, for twenty minutes?!"

"He wasn't crying when i went in there!" Soda yelled back and went into his bedroom to get dressed.

Darry followed him.

"I thought Sandy was teaching you how to take care of him."

"Get off my back, Darr."

"No." Darry looked sternly at Soda. "I've been giving you so many breaks. I'm always laying into Pony and letting you get away with things. It occured to me a while ago that Pony looks up to you. How can i expect him to do the smart thing if i keep letting you do stupid things?"

Soda stared at Darry. "You think i'm stupid?" He asked.

Darry shook his head. "You're not stupid, you just do stupid things."

"That's the same difference!"

"Look, all i'm saying is, you have to start thinking about the consequences of your actions. This kid is a lot of responsibility."

"You think you can do better?" Soda challenged. "Go ahead. I'm going to meet Steve and Two-Bit."

"No you're not." Darry grabbed Soda's arm as he walke dby.

Soda pulled himself free of Darry's grip. "Stop me." He said and stood looking at Darry for a second, then left just as Pony walked in.


	17. Chapter 17

Soda walked back into the house, well past midnight.

Darry and Pony were sitting in the front room watching the TV with the sound down low.

"Is he asleep?" Soda asked.

"Yes." Darry said.

"Good. I'm going to join him." Soda disappeared into the bedroom before Darry could say anything else. He could hear Darry saying something to Pony, but didn't quite hear exactly what he said and he definately didn't hear Pony's reply. Within a few seconds of laying down on the bed next to the baby, Soda fell asleep.

He didn't wake up until almost midday and was surprised the baby hadn't woken up, but when he looked, the baby wasn't there. He jumped out of bed and ran into the front room, fearing the worst. He thought maybe Darry had decided he'd had enough and put the baby up for adoption. But when he entered the front room, he saw Pony holding the baby and talking to someone at the front door.

Soda walked over to Pony, expecting himto be talking to Jane. He reached out to take his child but paused, recognizing the face and voice of the girl Pony was talking to.

"Niki..." Soda said, his eyes widening in surprise and fear.

Pony spun around, suddenly noticing Soda was there.

"Hey, Soda." Niki smiled a little unsurely.

"What are you doing here?" Soda asked.

"I wanted to talk to you." Niki stated. "But Pony filled me in."

Soda looked at Pony who was still standing by the door, holding the kid.

"Yeah, i bet he did." Soda frowned.

Pony gave Soda a look that he had only ever used on socs before.

"He's really yours, huh?" Niki said, looking at the baby. "I mean, it's not like you could deny it. He has your eyes and your smile."

Soda wanted to feel proud about the compliment, but at that moment, all he could do was feel pain.

He felt so bad that Niki had found out that way. He was annoyed with Pony for telling her and annoyed at himself for not telling her.

"Hey, guys." Suddenly a cheerful voice broke the silence and added to the tension.

Sandy walked up the steps onto the front porch and stood next to Niki.

"See you around." Niki gave an uncomfortable smile and descended the steps.

"Did i come at a bad time?" Sandy asked, watching Niki walk through the gateway. "I can come back later."

"No, it's fine." Soda said. "Can you stay here for a moment, i'll be right back." Without waiting for a reply, Soda leaped down the steps and ran after Niki.

"I'm sorry." Soda said as he caught up with her.

"Are you?" Niki asked, a slight tremble in her voice.

"I said i was." Soda took hold of her arm to stop her.

"I'm not angry at you for having a child with someone else. I know you were with her before you even knew me and i know you both thought you were in love. I'm not even angry at you for not telling me about this." Niki stated.

"Then what is it?" Soda asked.

"It's the fact that you thought you had to break up with me because i wouldn't be able to take it." Niki's eyes filled with tears. "It makes me feel like you really don't know me. Our whole relationship was a waste of time because you still don't know me well enough to know that i would have helped you and supported you any way i could." A tear ran down Niki's cheek and she quickly brushed it off and tried to hold back more tears.

Soda stood there, not knowing what to say. He realized what she said was true. He really didn't know her that well. He had abandoned their relationship because he'd thought she wouldn't be able to deal with him having a son by another girl. Though deep down, he'd had a feeling she would accept it and hep him. She wasn't the jealous type - he knew that.

Maybe it wasn't Niki he didn't know well enough, maybe it was himself. Maybe he wasn't sure how /he/ would deal with it.

Soda didn't notice when Niki had begun to walk away until she was almost at the corner. He ran to catch up with her again.

"I really am sorry." Soda said honestly.

Niki stopper and looked at him. "I know."

"I love you." Soda announced.

Niki smiled and shook her head. She put a hand on Soda's cheek and kissed him. "See you around." She said as she pulled away, then she turned and walked off and this time Soda didn't go after her.

He realized it was over for good.

As he stood watching her go, an awful heavy weight settled in his chest and a lump formed in his throat. He began to find it hard to breath and his vision got blurry.

As he turned to go back home, he caught sight of Steve and Two-Bit heading towards him. He quickly regained his posture and smiled as they caught up to him.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked.

"Nothing." Soda denied.

Steve half laughed and patted Soda on the back. "I've known you since grade school, buddy. I'm fully capable of figuring out when you're upset about something."

"It's nothing." Soda smiled, then changed the subject. "What are you two bums doin' around here anyway?"

"Bummin' around." Two-Bit laughed.

"We came to say farewell." Steve said.

Soda looked confused. "Where are you going?"

Two-Bit saluted. "Vietnam." He said, then acted out shooting invisible people with an invisible rifle.

Soda watched Two-Bit, then turned to Steve. "Are you serious? Both of you?"

Steve nodded. "You know i've been thinking about it for a while, and i finally made up my mind."

"We enrolled this morning. A lot of guys are signing up. Some didn't even look old enough to be outisde without an adult." Two-Bit said.

"Soda... No." Steve said suddenly. He must have seen the look in Soda's eyes. "You have a kid."

"Yeah, and if i go to Vietnam i'll be a hero to that kid." Soda said.

"Or you'll be the father he knew for a few weeks of his life." Two-Bit said.

"People get killed in wars, Soda. You don't want your kid growing up without a father." Steve said.

"Who says i'll get killed?" Soda asked, a little annoyed with his friend's doubt in his ability to survive a war. "And what about you guys? You could get killed."

"Naw, i'm invincible." Two-Bit laughed.

"I got nothing worth living for anyway." Steve said honsetly.

Soda stopped walking and glared at Steve. "That ain't true and you know it! You've got us - the gang."

Steve sighed. "We stopped being a gang when Dally died." He stated. "And you guys don't need me. You'll do fine without me. But think about it... If you went off to war and got killed... How do you think your brothers would feel? Pony looks up to and is always trying to be like you and Darry... He'd never forgive himself."

"Pony needs a better role-model and Darry can go hang himself. I know he'd blame himself, like he always does when it has nothing to do with him. But he'd be happy i was gone, because then he'd have less trouble and Pony might start imitating him - the sensible one - instead of me - the reckless one. And they'd have more money becuase there'd be one less person to feed and clothe."

Steve shook his head, unable to believe that was really what Soda thought.

"You got that all wrong, kid." Two-Bit said.

"What would you know!" Soda snapped. "You don't know anything about us!"

"I know Darry loves you more than anything on this planet." Two-Bit stated.

"And he sure knows how to show it, huh." Soda said.

"Now you're starting to sound like Pony." Steve commented.

"Yeah? Well maybe the kid has a point. Maybe he's right." Soda began walking towards his house.

"I thought you understood." Two-Bit said.

"Come on. Leave him. He doesn't get it." Steve said and began to walk in the opposite direction.


	18. Chapter 18

Soda slammed the door behind himself and the baby jumped visibly at the sudden loud noise.  
Sandy sat on the floor playing with him and Pony was sitting on the sofa. They had stopped talking when Soda walked in.  
"Go ahead, Pony. You don't need to stop talking because of me. Tell her whatever you want." Soda said angrily, then headed for the bedroom.  
"Soda," Sandy jumped up and went after him. Soda stopped in the doorway and turned to face her.  
"You've got to come and spend some time with Patrick." Sandy said.  
"I've got some things to think about. I need to be alone." Soda said.  
"Did i do something?" Sandy asked.  
"No, Sandy, this has got nothing to do with you. The world doesn't revolve around you!" Soda yelled and slammed the door.  
He heard Snady yell back, "No, you're right, apparently it revolves around you!"  
Soda ignored Sandy's comment and lay down on the bed, starring up at the ceiling. He sighed. Things were changing. He was changing.  
He used to be the laid back, understanding one, trying to keep the peacce with everyone. Now it seemed Pony had taken that role and Soda had taken Pony's place - arguing with Darry, saying things weren't fair, ignoring his responsibilities and becoming a dreamer.  
But he wanted to go to Vietnam. He always had. Him and Steve used to talk about it all the time. They said they'd enroll together - Two-Bit, too.  
Soda couldn't believe his friends had enrolled without him.  
He lay there thinking about things for a long time. He thought about how things used to be five years ago. It had been easier then.  
He thought about Darry and Pony. About Sandy and Niki and Patrick. About Two-Bit and Steve. About Dally and Johnny.  
He thought about Pony's friendship with Johnny and how devastated Pony had been when Johnny died. All that Pony went through during the first year that followed Johnny's death.  
He also thought about how Dally had snapped when Johnny died. Dally couldn't take it, he wasn't as strong as Pony, he didn't feel as wanted or needed or loved as Pony.  
Soda wondered how he would feel if Steve died in Vietnam. Would he break down like Dally had - unable to continue living. Or would he become depressed and never mention Steve to anyone even though he couldn't think about anything else - like Pony had been.  
Soda knew Steve was wrong. They were still a gang and he needed Steve. Pony and Darry would deal with it, but Soda needed him. They'd been friends since grade school. Soda didn't have any other friends. At least no-one he could talk to tha way he talked to Steve.  
Soda jumped out of his bed, grabbed a jacket from the closet and left the house, ignoring whatever Pony and Sandy had said.  
He ran all the way to where they were signing people up for the army. Steve and Two-Bit were right - there were a lot of guys there and half of them didn't look old enough.


	19. Chapter 19

Pony's POV:

Soda hadn't been ating hinself since he'd been shot. I don't know what it was. I think part of it might have been due to finding out about his son and then lying to Niki. I know he loved Niki. He probably still does.  
Usually, though, he managed to push his problems aside and carry on with life. Maybe they had all finally caught up to him. Maybe he'd just had one problem too many and he couldn't handle it anymore.  
But me and Darry were there.  
All he had to do was ask and we'd have been more than willing to help him out.  
I didn't have a clue where Soda was going when he ran out of the house, leaving me and Sandy with the kid. I didn't find out until just over a week later.  
If i'd known at the time, i would have run after him and tried to talk to him. I would have tried to convince him not to go. Though i honestly don't know if he would have listened to me. He didn't listen to Steve.

Two-Bit's POV:

You can't imagine my surprise.  
There i am, sitting on one of the beds, talking to some of the guys. I was telling them an old story and had them all in fits of laughter. Then a new kid walks in.  
It's tradition that you play a prank of some kind on the new kid, so i walked up to him, getting ready to prank him, and he turns around.  
I was so shocked, i didn't know what to say.  
"What's the matter? You can't have run out of words." The kid said to me.  
I grinned at him. "They'll let anybody in the army these days. How'd you get Darry to let you go?"  
Soda's eyes turned dark and he looked away. "He doesn't know i'm here." He said to me.  
I raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. The kid sure had changed a lot during the past few weeks.  
"Hey, Steve'll be glad to see you. I think he misses you." I said.  
I led him over to Steve, but i was wrong. He wasn't happy to see Soda. In fact, he was furious that Soda was there. He calmed down after a day or two though.

Darry's POV:

I had to work two jobs to keep this family together. By the time i got home late in the evening, i was exhausted.  
That day i got home and found Pony alone with Soda's kid, i wasn't too happy.  
Soda had been acting like a child during those past few weeks.  
I waited up all night for him to return. I was really angry. But he didn't come home. At the time i figured he'd gone to a party or something and that made me angrier.  
When he still hadn't returned the following night, i started asking people if they'd seen him.  
Steve and Two-Bit weren't around either. I'd heard rumors of them joining the army, but no-one seemed to know anything about Soda.  
After a week, i wasn't angry anymore - i was worried sick.  
Me and Pony continued to look after the baby with Sandy's help.  
It wasn't like Soda to just run off. He had never run away before.  
It was almost two weeks later that i recieved a letter. The letter was supposed to reassure me, but it made me worry even more.  
The letter was from Steve, informing me that Soda was safe and he'd joined the army.  
I got a few letters from Steve keeping me up-to-date about what was happening with the army, the war in Vietnam, and Soda. I never got a letter from Sodapop. I let Pony read the letters from Steve, too, and he replied.  
Then, one day, Steve stopped sending letters. I didn't know why. I thought maybe he was busy fighting. Sometimes i thought something might have happened to him, but i quickly pushed those thoughts aside.


	20. Chapter 20

Steve's POV:

After Soda showed up in the army, i figured Darry and Pony were probably going crazy trying to figure out where he was, so i wrote to them and Pony replied.  
In some letters i recieved from Pony he included a photograph of Soda's kid and he wrote about the things the kid was getting up to. I tried to show Soda, but he didn't want to know. He'd take the photograph and, without looking at it, he'd put it in the drawer next to his bed. He never wrote to Pony or Darry.  
After some brief training, we were sent to Vietnam. All the guys were nervous and excited at the same time. We couldn't wait to face the enemy, but we prayed it would be them with a bullet in their gut and not us.  
We had to sleep outside among the trees and other plants - though the majority of us hardly slept at all.  
The first couple of days and nights were fine. But then we came across a small group of the enemy and we were forced to open fire.  
I was scared. I had never shot anybody before and everyone that fell to the ground reminded me of Dallas Winston.  
Soda and Two-Bit stood by me through the whole battle. I could tell they were scared too. I expected Two-Bit to be enjoying himself, everything was a game to him, but when i caught sight of Soda grinning, i was shocked for a moment.  
Soda was always trying to keep the peace - the thought that he might enjoy being at war and killing people just didn't seem to fit Soda.  
Things continued like that for a while. We'd sleep - or attempt to sleep - outside, we'd trek through goodness knows what for hours on end and occassionally bump into a small enemy camp and open fire on them.  
We were lucky the first few times - we survived with all our men. But as the war went on, some men began to get tired and slow down and when we opened fire, some of our men got wounded by the enemy, some died. Every man that fell to the ground reminded me of Dallas Winston.  
One night - we had been walking all day and we were all pretty tired - we stumbled across more of the enemy. This group was bigger than the others had been and our group had decreased in size, but we had no option other than to attack. So we did.  
Soda and Two-Bit stuck close to me while men shot at us and were shot by us. Some of the guys we had recently befriended were shot at. There was a slight confusion for a moment and everything got crazy. Men were running everywhere, shooting at anything that moved.  
Soda moved.  
Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Soda looked at me, then began to fall to the ground. I stared at him as he fell - reminded of Dallas Winston - then i ran to his side, catching him in my arms. I heard Two-Bit screaming and shouting and i saw him run towards some men, shooting like a mad man.  
I sat on the muddy, blood-stained ground, holding Soda.  
"Tell Darry and Pony i'm sorry." Soda said and tears filled his eyes.  
My vision got blurry as tears filled my eyes, too. I shook my head. "You can tell them yourself when you go home." I said.  
"Make sure the kid's raised good."  
"He will be. You're his father." I smiled gently. "No-one would do a better job."  
"I was shot once before." Soda told me.  
"I know. I was there." I said.  
"It didn't hurt half as bad as this." Soda grinned.  
I looked away from him for a moment, forcing myself not to cry while tears stung my eyes.  
He suddenly felt heavy and when i looked at him again, his wild, recklessly-laughing, dancing eyes had turned dull and lifeless.  
I don't remember anything else about Vietnam.

Two-Bit's POV:

I saw Soda go down. I saw who had fired at him. I went after the guy. I killed him.  
Our side won that battle.  
I found Steve sitting on the ground, holding Soda in his arms. I didn't have to look at Soda to know he was dead.  
Tears were streaming down Steve's cheeks and his eyes were unfocused. His face was completely blank.  
It was the first time in my life i didn't have a wise remark.  
I had to drag Steve away when we were given the order to move on.  
It wasn't easy for me to lose a friend like that, but we were at war. I knew i had to concentrate on protecting myself and the remainder of the group. I would mourn later.  
I guess it hit Steve a little harder. He had been really close to Soda since grade school. They hade done practically everything together.  
Steve didn't speak at all during the rest of the war, except to say that it should have been him, not Soda. His expression rarely changed either.  
I found out a while later - a few weeks before we were set to go home - that Steve had gotten into drugs. There was nothing i could do about it though.

Pony's POV:

I was just finishing up the dishes when there was a knock at the door. Darry answered it.  
"Darrel Curits?" I heard a man's voice. He had an authorative tone.  
"Yes." I heard Darry reply.  
There was silence, so i poked my head around the corner and saw two guys wearing suits standing outside. One of the guys handed Darry an envelope, then they turned and walked away.  
Darry shut the door and slowly turned around, opening the envelope.  
I knew what it was straight away and i accidently dropped the plate i had been cleaning.  
Darry looked up at me, tears in his eyes, as he continued to open the envelope.  
He hesitated for a second, then pulled out the piece of paper that was inside. He stared at it for a long moment, then sank to the floor and cried. I had never seen him like that before. Not when Johnny or Dally died. Not even when Mom and Dad died.  
I just stood there, watching him cry, with a broken plate at my feet.

AFTER THE WAR.

Steve and Two-Bit returned home as war heroes, though Two-Bit had been shot in the leg and would have to use crutches for the rest of his life.

There was a small funeral for Soda. Quite a few people showed up to say their final goodbyes. It was the last time Darry, Pony or Two-Bit saw Steve.

Two-Bit hung around the Curtis' house for a while, but it wasn't the same. Soda was gone, Steve didn't want to be seen, and Two-Bit had lost his ability to wisecrack.

Eventually, Two-Bit got a job and sorted out his life.

Pony managed to save up enough money to move out and got engaged to Jane. He graduated college and became a great writer.

Darry adopted Soda's child and raised him as his own son. Eventually, he married his girlfriend and they both agreed to tell little Patrick about his father when he was old enough to understand.

A few years later, everyone re-united at another funeral.

Steve had overdosed on drugs and died.


End file.
